Open to all Beekeepers ***
Tentative speakers and agenda for the Spring / Summer VSBA meeting are:
Kim Flottum - After receiving a degree in horticulture from UW Madison, Kim Flottum worked four years in the USDA Honey Bee Research Lab, studying pollination ecology. After that, he spent two years raising acres of fruits and vegetables, where bees played a large role. He brings this experience, plus nearly 20 years of writing and editing articles for beekeepers in the monthly magazine Bee Culture. He is the publisher of books on honey bee pests and diseases, marketing, queen production, beekeeping history, beginning beekeeping, and the classic industry reference, The ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture.
Dr, Jennifer Tsuruda - Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda is a honey bee researcher and Clemson’s Extension Specialist in Apiculture. Dr. Tsuruda was born in Fresno, California; a large agricultural area for California. Jennifer received her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Biology as well as her Masters and PhD in Entomology at the University of California at Davis. Dr. Tsuruda has always had an interest in animal behavior and conducted all of her academic research on bees. Jennifer came to Clemson after completing her post-doctoral research on bee behavioral genetics at Purdue University. Her daily duties vary based on the season; during the summer months, she extracts honey, organizes conferences and workshops for organizations including the Heartland Apicultural Society and South Carolina Beekeepers Association, researches grant opportunities, and conducts studies with the bees on topics such as pollination.
Peter Loring Burst - Peter L Borst has worked in the beekeeping industry since his first job working as beekeeper’s helper in Wolcott NY, in 1974. In the late 1970s he helped run a beekeeping supply store in the San Diego area, where he served beekeepers of all levels of expertise. In addition to selling equipment and supplies, he was able to get an especially broad viewpoint of their problems and concerns. Peter was Senior Apiarist at Cornell's Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies for seven years, and worked as an apiary inspector for New York State from 2006 to 2008. He is currently President of the Finger Lakes Bee Club, and has retired from Cornell University. Peter has published over 40 articles on topics as diverse as beekeeping technique, the composition and value of pollen for bees, and the history of bee breeding. He enjoys presenting on these topics for venues ranging from local elementary schools to organizations in many states.